Coughlans sees rise in orders from tweets

Coughlans Bakery has said the business has benefitted from having a presence on social media websites such as Twitter.

The retail bakery business, which operates 22 shops in the Surrey region and currently employs 200 members of staff, said the website has helped Coughlans to respond and follow through with cake enquiries online.

Sean Coughlan, production director at Coughlans Bakery, told British Baker: “We started playing with Facebook and Twitter around two or three years ago. We found Facebook not as fun as Twitter, which can also reach an audience far wider.

"It is hard to say how many enquiries we get through Twitter. Mainly people enquire about cakes, however, this week I changed our profile picture to a Peppa Pig biscuit that we hadn't even put into production yet, and a lady contacted me within minutes of doing it and wanted to order some.”

He added that he helps the company’s 641 Twitter fans find their closest shop through the Coughlans Bakery account called @munchspecials.

On behalf of Coughlans Bakery, a third-generation family-run business, Sean won highly commended in the Best Cupcake Handcrafted for Multiple Outlets category at last year’s National Cupcake Championships, organised by British Baker.